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Habitat's work in Jordan

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Country Profile

Habitat for Humanity Jordan

Habitat Jordan seeks to eliminate poverty housing by serving low-income families to improve their living conditions. In 2011, Habitat Jordan started a new mechanism of work - the Fund for Humanity Jordan is used as wholesale loan fund, issued to local community based organizations who are committed to start and grow their own sustainable housing program to serve low-income families. It has supported more than 31communities and serve more than 8,500 families.

The housing need in Jordan

The turmoil in the Middle East has weakened the Jordanian economy, and with no oil and inadequate supplies of water, the vast majority of Jordanians live on less than US$4,900 per year. Unemployment is high, especially in rural villages, where agriculture is a major source of employment. In the villages, families tend to have many children, and it is not uncommon for 12 to 15 family members to share a small two-room house. The lack of privacy increases family tension and makes it difficult for children to sleep and study. Women struggle to cook in makeshift kitchens with dirt floors. Without proper food storage cabinets, pests and rodents are a constant challenge. Unsanitary toilet facilities bring additional health risks. In Jordan, three events have shaped the current housing situation: economic and inflation pressures that come from the Middle East conditions that included mass housing and a large numbers of immigrants after a violent conflict.

How Habitat addresses the need in Jordan

HFH Jordan is currently working with 31 partner communities and in urban communities in the Greater Amman area. Houses are made of cement blocks; the average home is 55 square meters. Each new house brings greater opportunities for families to lead safe, healthy and productive lives. Habitat Jordan hosts groups of international volunteers and local school and corporate groups to build houses with homeowner families.

Here are some examples of Habitat projects in Jordan:

Wholesale projects
Northern Housing Project & Central Housing project use a formal selection process to identify the CBO with most potential to implement the housing project. After identification of a new implementing partner, the Northern Housing Project will evaluate loan applications received from CBO, loan agreements will be signed to enable the implementing partners to issue loans to homeowners in their community and build their fund for humanity.

Innovation project
The purpose of the Innovation program is to help local Jordanian communities to build their capacity & sustainability by providing the services that is unaccompanied by financial services. Using training & evaluation process in credit, construction, documentation, accounting, and legal compliance & reporting. New loans to CBO (jamayat) will be awarded based on best performing CBO on key performance indicators such as good governance, strategic allocation of resources, advocacy and volunteer mobilization.

Meet a Habitat family

Mamoon Mohammad Ali, his wife and their two sons live in Aqarba. Mamoon works as a cleaner for the municipality at his village. His income is insufficient for making their family home a safer place to live.

Mamoon explains: „We live in an unfinished house. The walls are not painted, the kitchen is incomplete. My biggest concern is for the health of my family. We do not have a septic tank and we have rodents and insects coming into the house and cause the children getting sick. Nobody can visit us and my wife has become physically tired from the situation.”

The chairman of Aqarba association suggested that Mamoon submits an application for a loan from Habitat. “When I heard that I was selected to be one of the beneficiaries I was so happy. My family now will not be suffering from sickness and I can dream that with Habitat´s help I can finally finish my house.”

What you can do

You can help Jordanian families improve their living conditions by taking one or more of the following actions:

Habitat for Humanity Europe, Middle East and Africa
Fungai Mukorah, Program Managerfmukorah@habitat.org

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Country facts:

Capital: AmmanMain country facts: Jordan has one of the lowest levels of water resource availability, per capita, in the worldPopulation: 6.5 millionUrbanization: 83 percent live in citiesLife expectancy: 74 yearsUnemployment rate: 12.2 percentPopulation living below poverty line: 14.4 percent